looking ahead

Let's call it what you will, the Detroit Tigers are a .500 team right now. They are good enough to make you believe they have a chance at the playoffs, only to play bad enough at times to make you realize that's not going to happen. So where do they go from here? There are a core group of guys here that you can build around. Miquel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen, Placido Polanco, Magglio Ordonez, and Brandon Inge seem to be set for next year's team. That means you need to find a shortstop and a left fielder. Could you bring back the current players Edgar Renteria and Marcus Thames at those positions? Maybe, but I think it might be time to cut ties with Renteria and bring back Thames as a DH or part time player. Options to fill the shortstop position are either Cale Iorg, a Double A prospect in the organization who has some power, but needs more seasoning, or a free agent like Orlando Cabrera or Rafael Furcal. As far as getting a new left fielder here the Tigers might decide to hand that job over to one of their young guys, either Matt Joyce, Clete Thomas, or Brent Clevlen. All have had some major league experience with Joyce probably having the inside track on the job. However if they want to make a small splash in the free agent market maybe a guy like Mark Kotsay could help get on base and play good defense.

The bigger problem with this team that they will have to address is finding some better pitching. The Tigers can go into next year with Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and hopefully Armando Galarraga if they resign him. Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis are under contract, but hopefully at least one of those guys will be gone. Seeing that Kenny Rogers will probably retire, hopefully, the team will need at least one starting pitcher. The obvious candidate in house would be Rick Porcello. He has all the tools to succeed in the majors, but might need one more season in the minors. The problem is the Tigers might not be able to wait. Other minor league pitchers who could creep into that starting rotation are Chris Lambert from Toledo, Luis Marte from Erie, and Jonah Nickerson from Lakeland. All of these guys have had solid years so far. There are some big name free agents like C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, John Lackey, Rich Harden, Oliver Perez, and Jon Garland who are available. Even mid level guys like Derek Lowe, Randy Wolf, or Ryan Dempster could help out this rotation. Mr. Illitch will have to open up the wallet again if he wants to add one of these guys.

Bullpen issues have persisted all year and some changes will need to be made there also. Resigning Joel Zumaya, Bobby Seay, Freddy Dolsi, and Zach Miner will need to be done. Fernando Rodney is the wild card here. He will be a free agent and his time might have run out in Detroit. He definitely has a million dollar arm, just a five cent head. Todd Jones will retire, so the closer role will be up for grabs. Should the Tigers spend all of their money on Francisco Rodriquez or to a lesser extent Jason Isringhausen? Maybe. The point is changes will have to made for the Tigers to make a run at the playoffs next year.